WOMEN IN DATA CENTRES
WITHOUT WOMEN , THERE WILL BE NO INNOVATION
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ABOUT
Gaelle Mogabure , Head of ESG at VIRTUS Data Centres
Gaelle serves as the Head of Environmental , Social and Governance ( ESG ) at VIRTUS Data Centres . In this capacity , she drives the development and implementation of the company ’ s ESG strategy and its programs , ensuring compliance across the UK and Europe while shaping future policies and initiatives . With over seven years of experience in the data centre and cloud industry , Gaelle is integral in driving sustainable practices within VIRTUS .
Gaelle Mogabure , Head of ESG at VIRTUS Data Centres , featured on a recent panel discussion we hosted for women in data centres . She offered some key insights about the extensive opportunities this industry has to offer and what she ’ s found most effective for career progression . Here she emphasises the importance of making yourself visible when it comes to applying for leadership roles and having your voice heard .
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What sparked your interest in the data centre industry and how does it compare to roles you ’ ve had previously ?
I fell into this industry by accident . I used to work for a private cloud provider and we were sharing office space with our sister company which was building and operating data centres . Data centres were new to me , so I talked to my colleagues to find out more about what they were and what they did . I had the opportunity to visit one of the facilities and I was fascinated and impressed . Two years down the line I transferred to the data centre company because I believed there was lots of opportunity to grow my career – not least because it was a growing industry at the forefront of enabling technology and innovation .
Are you noticing companies becoming more aware and determined to employ female leaders as part of their workforce and if not , why do you think this is ?
In my experience , every company is very mindful that women are likely under-represented in their leadership team . It ’ s not necessarily the fact that they don ’ t want to employ women , I think it ’ s that the pool of talent is quite small so finding females with the right skills and experience can be quite challenging . The other part of the challenge is that historically , the industry has been a boys ’ gang so unconscious bias comes into play .
It ’ s come to my attention that a lot of women in data centres experience imposter syndrome and therefore avoid applying for a promotion or negotiating a position – how far can you relate ?
I can relate 100 %. I felt like a bit of a fraud when I started . I think what helped is making a conscious effort to somehow benchmark myself against my male colleagues and realise that we had the same skills – I was as knowledgeable as them and therefore deserved to get promoted just as much as them .
It comes down to building self-confidence and believing that you are totally capable and in the right place as well as allowing yourself to be ambitious and looking to the next role .
6 Women in data centres